Container



Feb. 2, 1937. 4 G. A; M ORE 2,069,380 CONTAI-NER Filed June '7, 1935 gggg ga INVE NTORf Georye Arlington Moore M ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 2,1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER George Arlington Moore,Louisville, Ky., assignor to Humoco Corporation,

Louisville, Ky., a

Claims.

This invention relates to containers, and more particularly tocontainers, or parts therefor, embodying means for readily making anopening in the same by hand.

5 It has heretofore been proposed to provide scores in the walls ofcontainers in order to facilitate the opening of the container, wherebythe material therein may be discharged. This scoring usually destroysthe imperviousness of the container to air and moisture and particularlyso if the container is made of paper or fiber. The product within thecontainer thus becomes stale, losing its original characteristics.Moreover, the scored portion can only be removed with difliculty 5 sothat an instrument, such as a knife, must frequently be employed by theuser, and a frayed edge, which is highly objectionable, is usuallyproduced along the line of the score.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide a container having oneportion composed of an outer layer of foil and an inner layer of paper,the paper, but not the foil, being cut to provide a hatch or removableportion. It has also been. proposed to form a laminated structure ofpaper and foil and to provide a cut in the paper while relieving, at theopposite side of the structure, compression on the foil to provide thehatch or removable part.

If a container embodying a hatch of the second or third types referredto above is subjected to major barometric or atmospheric pressurechanges, the imperviousness of the container is frequently destroyed,and one of the objects of the present invention is to provide acontainer embodying a novel hatch which is so formed that theimperviousness of the container is preserved despite atmosphericchanges, or changes in other conditions to which containers are usuallysubjected.

Other objects are to provide, in a container element or portion formedof paper and foil laminations, a novel hatch which may be easilymanipulated without the use of a knife or special tool,.and one whichbreaks cleanly, whereby there is no likelihood that portions or flakesof the hatch or the container wall will fall into the container to mixwith the contents therein.

Further objects are to provide a hatch which is readily manipulatedeither with the right or the left hand, one which embodies both curvedand rectilinear portions, one which may be satisfactorily employed withsolid Wall containers such, for example, as paper containers coveredwith lacquer or cellophane, one which may be readily 55.1 collapsed inorderto avoid the necessity for forcing the hatch too deeply into thecontainer during the opening operation and to eliminate the necessityfor a pulling tab, and one which is so formed that thehatch may be movedto part or full open position and then returned to a position 5 such asto prevent the escape of the contents.

The above objects will appear more fully hereinafter, together withother objects and advantages of the invention, in the detaileddescription which is to be taken in connection with the ac- 10companying drawing. It is to be expressly understood, however, that thedrawing is for the purposes of illustration only and is not designed asa definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had forthis purpose to the appendedclaims. 15 In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a sectional view, with parts broken away, illustrating oneform of container provided with a hatch embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail view similar to Fig. 1 illus- 20 trating the mannerin which the hatch may be moved inwardly to disrupt the seal;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating a portion of the hatchmoved to a position such that the contents of the container may be dis-'25 charged;

Fig. 4 is a detail top plan View illustrating one preferred form ofhatch;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail illustrating a preferred form ofmale and female dies em- 30 ployed in forming the hatch in a laminatedstructure; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 illustrating the formation of a hatchin a wall formed of a single layer of material which may be veneeredwith 35 lacquer, or other facings, if desired.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 5, the novel batch of thepresent invention is illustrated in combination with a paper containerhaving a laminated side Wall 1 and an endpor- 40 tion or head closure 8.These two parts of the container are secured together in a manner toobtain an impervious seam, the closure formation illustrated'in Fig. 1being a desirable form wherein portions of the paper laminae are weldedto- 45 gether as at 9. This particular formation, however, forms no partof the present invention and is illustrative only, except as to theflexible arched ledge l 0 which is formed in any suitable manner in head8, as by means of dies, and which is 5 adapted to coact with the hatchin a manner to be pointed out hereinafter.

In one of the forms illustrated, the head 8 is made from a laminatedblank embodying paper laminae H and I2, and a foil lamina l3, the foil55 being secured to the paper by means of a suitable elastic adhesive,such as adhesives having bases of gutta-percha or rubber, for example,substances containing latex, which usually require a solvent to renderthe same capable of use, or other substances which do not require theuse of a solvent, such as those containing chlorinated diphenyl resinsas their base. The furrow outlining the hatch is cut or wedged in head 8by means of a male die I5 and a female die I6.

If the laminated blank is supported with the foil in engagement with asmooth metallic surface when the cutting edge of die I5 is forced intothe paper to form the score, it is found that the pressure of thecutting edge is transferred through the paper fibers to the foil, withthe result that the foil is susceptible to crystallization and, undercertain conditions, the imperviousness of the hatch is destroyed. Inorder to overcome this objection, it has heretofore been proposed toprovide a groove or recess I! in the pressure member I6 to coact withthe cutting edge in order that the foil may move into the groove whenpressure is applied to the cutting die, whereby a ridge 8a is formed inthe foil which projects above the surface of head 8. It has been foundthat the compressive action of the cutting member on the foil is reducedby the use of the groove I! to such an extent that the furrow may beformed in the paper side of the lamination without shearing ormaterially crystallizing the foil, whereby the imperviousness of thelatter is maintained. While the hatch thus provided is superior to oneformed in a blank without the use of a recess or groove in the femaledie, it has been found from further experimentation that such a hatch isnot entirely impervious when subjected to a major differential ofpressures.

In accordance with the present invention, the cutting edge is given aplow shape and, preferably, groove IT in female die I6 is similarlyshaped whereby an impervious hatch may be secured. A section through thecutting member, taken at right angles to the cutting edge, has thecharacteristics of a scalene triangle.

As shown more clearly in Fig. 5, the cutting portion I5a is formed insuch a manner that if a line be drawn at right angles to the base of thecutting portion through the apex thereof, the two angles formed at saidapex are unequal, the smaller angle lying adjacent the member ID. Theright-hand face l5b of the cutting portion I5a thus intersects saidperpendicular line to form a greater angle than that formed between saidline and the left-hand cutting face I50 Groove I1 is correspondinglyformed. After the cutting edge is formed on die member I5, said die ishardened and registered into die I6, before the latter is hardened andgrooved thus insuring the perfect alignment that is required between thecutting edge and groove [1.

It has been found that when pressure is applied to the cutting die I5having a cutting portion of the character described, the fibers of theportions II and I2 drift upwardly along face I5b in a curved pathwhereby the foil is yieldingly pressed into groove I1 withoutcrystallizing, severing or otherwise damaging the foil. The fibers onface I50 are cleanly sheared and laterally displaced in a shavingaction, a small portion of the fibers drifting across the cutting edgeinto the yielding mass in groove I1. The relative movement of members I5and I6 is so controlled that the cutting edge of portion I5a does notpenetrate the adhesive between the foil and paper laminae, said adhesiveserving to somewhat cushion the compression on the foil.

The cutting portion I511 of die I 5 and groove I! of die I6 are soformed as to compensate for variables whereby there is no danger thatthe seal of the hatch will be sheared or damaged. If for any reason,such for example as temperature changes affecting the dies, the apex ofthe cutting portion is brought nearer groove I1 than contemplated in theoriginal construction of the apparatus for carrying out the method, itwill be seen that said apex and the face I5c will not move sufficientlyclose to the corresponding face of groove I! to shear or crystallize thehatch seal constituted by the foil, in the embodiment of the inventionshown in Fig. 5. Compensation is thus provided for any variables thatmay arise during manufacture, with the result that the imperviousness ofthe batch is assured.

It has now been definitely determined that when the container issubjected to differential pressures the hatch provided in the mannerabove described possesses superior characteristics in that it isimpervious to air and moisture under pressure and temperature changes.If the outer surface of the foil is covered with lacquer, the pressureof the cutting die does not flake and discolor the lacquer, therebyclearly demonstrating the superiority of the hatch formed in the mannerjust provided.

In Fig. 6, there is illustrated the use of male and female cutting diesI5 and I6 in connection with a solid fibrous blank I8 adapted for use informing a hatch. The drift of the fibers resulting from the action ofthe cutting die is illus trated at I81; and I81) and it will be notedthat the drift on the right-hand face of the cutting knife is muchgreater than on the left-hand face, due to the plow-like shape of thecutter. As noted above, the provision of a furrow in blank I8 of thecharacter described will not flake or destroy the lacquer veneer I9 onthe outer surface of blank I8.

The cutting edge may have various configurations in accordance with theshape of the hatch to be provided, but as shown in Fig. 4, a preferredform of hatch 20 embodies straight edge portions 2| joined by arcuateend portions 22, and accordingly the cutting edge I5 is oblong inoutline to conform to hatch 20. In the illustrated embodiment of theinvention, the container is also of oblong shape so that the hatchparallels closely the inner edge of the closure formation and thearcuate ledge Ill, providing a maximum opening.

In the form shown, the hatch 20 embodies novel means to facilitate thebreaking of the seal and the manipulation of the hatch after the seal,constituted by the impervious foil, in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2,is broken. To this end, hatch 20 is provided with transversely andoutwardly projecting ribs or ridges 23, constituting bending linedeformations, which may be formed during the fianging of the head 8, orafter the seam is formed if desired. Preferably, the ribs 23 terminateclosely adjacent the straight edge portions 2| of hatch 20, said ribsbeing laterally spaced to form sections 24 and 25. The sections 24 areprovided with outwardly projecting buttons 26 which constitute locatingdeformations that enable the user to quickly and accurately locate thepoint of application of pressure for properly opening the hatch.

When it is desired to open the container, the

user places his index finger on button 26 (Fig. 2) 7 and forces thebutton downwardly and inwardly, as indicated by the arrow. The sharpshoulder provided at 2'! acts as a cutting ledge whereby the foil andthe elastic adhesive between the foil are readily and cleanly sheared,and section 24 is forced into the container, hatch 20 bending along thejoint formed by the adjacent rib 23, to assume the dotted line positionillustrated. The foil offers more resistance along the arcuate edge 22than along the straight edge 2 I, and the ledge Ill yields under thepressure applied to button 26 in order to prevent damage to theimpervious seam between head 8 and side walls 1. The user now pullssection 24 outwardly, shearing the foil along the straight edges 2|, andfolds section 24 about the adjacent hinge 23 toward section 25, the rib23 at the inner end of section 25 also acting as a hinge to facilitatethis folding of the sections 24 and 25, as shown in Fig. 3. The contentscan now be readily discharged through the opening formed in head 8 ofthe container whereupon sections 24 and 25 may be returned tosubstantially their original position. If desired, the entire hatch maybe removed by using the folded sections 24 and 25 as a tab. The use ofthe ribs as shown together with buttons 26 enables the hatch to beopened by either a right or a left handed user, and said ribs greatlyfacilitate the folding of the hatch into the position illustrated inFig. 3.

There is thus provided a container having a hatch which is soconstructed as to preserve at all times the imperviousness of thecontainer. The furrow may be formed in laminated or solid blanks ofvarious materials by the use of a plowshaped cutting edge to provide asuperior container which is impervious to air and moisture. The hatch isso formed that there is no likelihood of the foil or paper flaking andfalling into the substance within the container, and no implement isrequired to open the hatch and to prevent it from falling into thecontainer if broken throughout the periphery thereof. The hatch may bereadily formed to provide a maximum opening for the container, or thesame may be of such size as to restrict the discharge of material fromthe container to a predetermined amount. As will be understood by thoseskilled in the art, the materials employed, the form of the containerand the location and shape of the hatch may be varied without departingfrom the limits of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a container, a closure member having a plow shaped furrow in theinner face thereof to provide a hatch, one face of the furrow, insection, being longer than the opposite face.

2. In a container, a closure provided with an angular furrow in one facethereof to form a hatch, and a ridge corresponding in configuration tothe furrow in the opposite face, said ridge being formed by the pressureexerted on the closure in forming the furrow and being laterally offsetfrom the apex of the furrow.

3. In a container, a laminated closure, said closure being provided withan angularly shaped furrow in the inner face thereof to provide a hatch,the apex of the furrow being offset laterally relative to the mouththereof.

4. A laminated foil and paper hatch for a container, the foilconstituting the sealing element for the hatch and having the pressurethereon relieved during the cutting operation by the drift of the fibersof the paper and a recessed pressure member, whereby an impervious ridgeis formed in the foil that is laterally offset relative to the apex ofthe cut.

5. In a container, a hatch adapted to be removed from a wall of thecontainer by digital pressure, said hatch being formed by a plowshapedfurrow around the periphery of the hatch, one face of the furrow, insection, being longer than the opposite face.

GEORGE ARLINGTON MOORE.

